No Means No
by CrystalMaiden77
Summary: Coop finally calls Phoebe out on her treatment of him, only to end up regretting it.


When Phoebe walked outside and checked her mailbox, she was surprised to find a pink-colored letter addressed to her. Curious, she read it to find out what it said. " _Dear, Phoebe. You are a very beautiful girl and I would love to date you! Please come to my house so that we can spend quality time together! Love, Coop!_ " Phoebe gasped in excitement while happily holding the letter to her chest.

She looked thrilled, but deep down, she was very skeptical. " _It's probably just a forgery or something,_ " Phoebe thought, thinking it was way too good to be true. " _But what if it isn't fake? What if Coop really did write it and wrote it honestly, and I broke his heart by not showing up?! And then he'd never wanna see me again! I can't take that risk! I guess I'd better come over anyways and see what happens!_ "

Phoebe happily ran across the street to Coop's house holding the letter in her left hand, and rang his doorbell. Coop opened the door, and to her surprise, he greeted her with a smile. " Hey, Phoebe! " She walked into his house eagerly, and Coop closed the door behind her. " Glad you could make it! "

" I wouldn't miss it for the world! So where are we going first?! " Phoebe said in excitement. Coop replied with a smile, " Oh, YOU'LL find out _soon enough._ " He put a blindfold over her eyes and said, " It's a surprise! " He led her down the stairs into the laundry room, and took the blindfold off her. She was surprised to see where he had taken her. Excited, Phoebe looked around and said, " So what's the surprise, Coopie-Woopie? Are _you_ going to _tell_ me something that'll _BLOW_ _MY_ _MIND?!_ " staring at the curtain in the room and wondering what was hiding behind it.

" Don't be an _IDIOT!_ " Coop shouted. Phoebe gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth. She turned around to face Coop, who was suddenly glaring at her with his arms crossed and his eyes full of hatred. Looking devastated, Phoebe asked very sadly, " _What's going on,_ Coopie? I thought you invited me here because you _liked_ me! "

" NO! I _DON'T_ like you, Phoebe! I'll _NEVER_ LIKE you!... And _do you wanna know WHY?..._ It's because for _all your life_ you've been _nothing_ but a _PEST!_ M-My life is _ALREADY_ too stressful, a-and all you do is make it _WORSE!_ You _CONSTANTLY_ creep me out by flirting with me and you have _NO_ respect for my feelings about it at all and you _STILL_ tell me that you ' _LOVE_ ' me! If you _really_ loved me, you'd _stop_ being so self-absorbed and _APOLOGIZE_!... But _OBVIOUSLY this is just too much to ask_ because I've _known_ you for _years_ and you _HAVEN'T CHANGED!_ You're _STILL_ the same _spiteful spoiled brat_ who thinks she's _entitled_ to _whatever she wants_ and won't stop until she gets it. Well, why would I want to date YOU?! Why would I wanna _date_ someone who's _EXACTLY_ like _MILLIE?!_ "

Phoebe gasped sharply. " And the _WORST_ part of this is that no matter _WHAT_ I say or _WHAT_ I do, I can't get you to feel _BAD_ about the _way_ _you've treated me_ all these years, because you're just going to feel _victimized_ because I _YELLED_ at you! After ALL this you're just gonna _CRY_ and _call me MEAN_ because I FINALLY got the courage to _stand UP to you!_ And then you'll go home and expect _sympathy_ while failing to understand why _I HATE you!_ "

Her eyes welled up with tears as she felt every hurtful emotion at once. She didn't want to look weak and pathetic in front of her hero, but no matter how hard she tried to force back tears, they escaped her eyes anyways. She looked away with her eyes closed and wiped the tears away, humiliated, and Coop rolled his eyes in annoyance, showing no signs of pity. " I KNEW IT, _here comes the waterworks!_ Now suddenly _I'M_ the bad guy because I _STOOD UP TO YOU!_ "

Miserable, Phoebe shook her head, and sat down on the floor after tossing the letter she was holding over her shoulder. She wanted to tell Coop that she completely agreed with everything he said about her, but she was unable to speak without sounding choked up. Embarrassed and devastated, Phoebe started sobbing as quietly as she could, breathing in sharp gasps as tears continued to escape her closed eyes, which she covered over with her hands out of shame.

Frustrated, Coop said, " What are you _DOING?!_ Stop feeling SORRY for yourself! Don't you GET that you had this COMING? " To his surprise, Phoebe nodded, agreeing with him again, and he finally realized that she wasn't just feeling like a helpless victim of unjustified abuse. She genuinely felt like she deserved to be treated that way. Finally, Coop realized just how much he had hurt her feelings.

He thought, " _Oh, man! If anyone finds out I made her cry, everyone will hate me!_ " He became scared at the thought of how much he'd get in trouble for upsetting a girl to the point of tears, and decided that he'd have to get her to stop crying as soon as possible, so that he could get rid of her without anyone finding out he made her cry. But he didn't want to apologize to her, because that would mean taking back what he said, which would defeat the whole purpose of standing up to her. All he wanted was to get her to calm down, and get her out of the house as fast as possible. And he knew that would mean he'd have to comfort her, because if he just left her there, someone might walk into the room and find her there, and he would immediately get in trouble.

Coop stared at Phoebe as she sobbed quietly and wiped away her tears frantically. Every time she wiped tears away, more escaped her eyes. She wanted to stop crying as fast as possible, but it felt physically impossible to stop. As Phoebe tried her hardest to make as little noise as possible, it became harder and harder for Coop to not feel extremely sorry for her. She had been crying for several minutes by now, and the worst part of it for her was the complete lack of compassion she was getting.

" Phoebe? " There was a hint of regret in his tone. He knew he had to make her stop crying before someone heard her, but he still had to force himself to comfort her. After all, it was still Phoebe. He still didn't trust her not to call it a romantic moment. " Phoebe, look at me, " he told her, and she reluctantly took her hands away from her eyes, and looked at him as he sat down in front of her. She was partially blinded by tears, but she could still see that Coop was looking upset. She continued to wipe away tears as Coop said,

" Phoebe, I DIDN'T wanna make you _CRY!..._ I just wanted to be _honest_ with you for once, and maybe get you to _change_ your _behavior!..._ I'm _SORRY_ I hurt your feelings so much, and I _GET_ why you're _CRYING_ , but _you_ _HAVE to CALM DOWN!_ If anyone finds out I _upset_ you, _everyone's_ gonna _HATE_ me! You HAVE TO CALM DOWN! " After a brief silence where Phoebe continued to dry her eyes in futility, Coop said, " But you... _can't_... calm down... _can_ you? "

Phoebe shook her head in shame. She desperately wanted the tears to stop coming, but every time she tried to think happy thoughts to cheer herself up, they became drowned out by negative thoughts. She couldn't even attempt to smile. The only silver lining about this humiliating moment was that Coop was actually bothering to act like he cared about her for once. Coop put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her, and she gave up on wiping away her tears.

After a brief silence, Coop asked, " Do you understand that you have a LOT to APOLOGIZE for? " Phoebe nodded. Deciding to accept that as an apology, he said, " Alright, then... " He asked unhappily, " Phoebe, do you _hate_ me? " She shook her head. Surprised, he said, " So you're not gonna hold this against me? " She shook her head, and Coop was relieved to hear that. " Are you gonna keep this all between us? " She nodded, wishing that she could speak to him without sounding choked up. Coop couldn't believe Phoebe would forgive him for hurting her feelings so much that she cried, and even yelling at her while she cried. After a brief moment of consideration, he decided it would be better to just stumble awkwardly through a sincere apology, because that was what she deserved.

" I'm sorry... I went too far... I'm _not_ taking back what I said about you, because it's _true_ , but I _still_ don't want you to be _MISERABLE!_ I wasn't _PLANNING_ on _yelling_ at you so much! I just lost my temper because I've had a _really_ hard day... and I _really_ regret that... So... um... I'm sorry I yelled at you... and _hurt your feelings..._ I didn't _mean_ to make you _that_ upset... I want you to feel _better_. Really _soon_. And _not_ just because I don't wanna get in trouble." Phoebe gave him a very confused look.

" What I _mean_ is, even though we aren't _friends_ , I still _care_ about you. " Phoebe was shocked to hear that. She said while sounding choked up, " _But you HATE me!_ " " No, no!... I just said that to you 'cause I was MAD! " Phoebe wiped away more tears, and looked at him in confusion as he smiled nervously. " Trust me, _you'd know_ if I _hated_ you. I'd be hurting you and humiliating you _every DAY!..._ We _aren't_ enemies! I don't do that with _you_ , so you _obviously_ don't annoy me _that_ much. " He smiled at her for a few seconds before taking his hands off her shoulders and laughing nervously, finally realizing that they had been there far longer than he'd intended.

Still sounding sad, Phoebe said slowly with her voice breaking, " _So..._ you _value_ my _life?_ " Coop was shocked at the question, and didn't understand what exactly it implied. " W-Well, of COURSE!... I don't want you _DEAD!..._ How long have you thought _THAT?!_ " Phoebe looked away nervously, and after a shocked silence, Coop asked,

" Wh-What, did you think I wanted to _KILL_ you?! " Phoebe was startled and shook her head, giving him a confused and surprised look. She had returned to breathing normally by now, as opposed to breathing in sharp gasps like she had been for the last several minutes. Confused and shocked, Coop asked, " Well, if you don't think that, then why did you... I mean, what did you mean by... I mean, HUH?! " Phoebe shook her head quickly and for multiple seconds, and he replied, " So you don't wanna talk about it? " She shook her head again, and Coop sighed, accepting that he would never get a proper answer. " I'm _sorry_ I made you _think_ that. That's just _AWFUL_ , " he said sadly.

" Alright, so... I'm, uh... I'm glad you're talking to me again! That means you're feeling _BETTER_ , right? " There was a brief silence, and Phoebe gave him a look. She was obviously still wiping away tears. " Well, better than _BEFORE_ , _anyways..._ Right? " She nodded, and sighed, looking depressed. " I won't tell anyone about this, Phoebe, I _promise,_ " he told her.

" _Thank you,_ " she whispered quietly. Phoebe was finally starting to look annoyed with Coop for the way he had treated her, but not to the point of anger or hatred. She just seemed disappointed and frustrated. All she wanted was to spend some time with him, and for him to enjoy it for once, and she couldn't even get that. Wanting to break the silence, Coop said with a nervous smile, " My dad's baking cookies today! Do you want some? " He hoped that this would make her feel better.

Phoebe looked interested and said, " _That_ sounds _nice!_ " There were still tears coming out of her eyes, but she wasn't nearly as upset as she used to be. Relieved, Coop said, " Well, alright, so I'll bring a bunch of them down here, and, um, we'll eat them _together._ " Phoebe gasped happily. " _As friends._ "

Phoebe smiled. It was a nervous smile, since she was still upset, but at least she was capable of smiling again. " GOOD! " she said. " I bet they'll taste GREAT! " She wiped away some more tears. The memory of Coop telling her everything that was wrong with her was still stuck in her head, replaying over and over again, but at least she finally had a reason to smile again. " So, are you mad that I lied to you in that letter? " Phoebe replied, " No... Heh heh... To be honest, I had always sort of suspected that it was too good to be true. "

Suddenly, Coop's father called out, " COOP, MILLIE, THE COOKIES ARE READY! " Coop said, " I'll be right back! " and ran upstairs to get the cookies from the kitchen. After a short period of time, he returned with a large plate of cookies, and gave Phoebe half of them with an uneasy smile.

" H-Here... You've earned it. " She said, " Thanks! " and they spent the next few minutes enjoying the taste of warm soft chocolate chip cookies. The cookies definitely cheered Phoebe up.

" Those were really good! " Coop commented when the cookies had been finished. " Yeah! " There was a silence, as Phoebe realized with disappointment that, now that she had stopped crying, she was expected to go home, immediately. She said with a humble smile, " _Thank you,_ Coopie... Thank you for taking the time to _comfort_ me, and for getting me those cookies, and thank you for telling me that _you_ _value my life._ You have _no idea_ how much I _needed_ to hear you _say_ that, _especially_ today. "

Still confused, Coop said nervously, " Well, you're welcome. " Phoebe said, " And thank you for _apologizing_ to me... And for spending _quality time with me._ " " I spent quality time with you? " Coop was surprised to hear that she thought that, because he had always assumed that " quality time with Phoebe " meant, " kissing. "

" Yes, Coop. As friends. And I _still_ _appreciate_ _it_ , " Phoebe said with a smile. Suddenly, she stopped smiling, and asked sadly, " Are you going to freak out now? " Coop thought for a moment, and then said, " No, " smiling slightly. He hoped that she wouldn't take it the wrong way as he said, " If anything, I'm _proud_ of you. This was kinda nice!... I hope you've learned a _valuable_ _lesson from this_. As long as you _BEHAVE,_ we can still have a good time together. It's not that I _HATE_ you or anything, you just have to _RESPECT_ me, and _then,_ I'll respect _you_. "

" Exactly!... It makes sense that I'd have to _EARN_ your RESPECT, Coop! You're my _HERO!_

I shouldn't _expect_ you to respect me when I've done nothing to EARN it! I've done _NOTHING_ to be _WORTHY_ of the kind of respect _YOU_ deserve! You're so BRAVE and COURAGEOUS, you can do _ANYTHING!_ "

Coop said with a nervous smile, " W-Well... thanks. " and then looked away nervously. To Coop's surprise, Phoebe sighed. Looking mildly annoyed, Phoebe said, " _Oh_ , I'm _SORRY_ I _COMPLIMENTED you, then_ ; I'll _NEVER_ _do it again,_ " and sighed, thinking she just couldn't please him.

" No, that's not it, " he lied. " I-I was just, um... wondering why you called me a _HERO!_ Why _am_ I your hero, anyways? What have I done, as far as you know, to be worthy of _THAT_ title? " He was trying to get her to admit she was just flirting with him and not giving a genuinely felt compliment.

" _Um_... w-well... _well..._ " Phoebe said nervously before stammering, while Coop smirked with his hands on his hips. " It's just that, well, I called you a _hero_ because for several months I've genuinely _thought_ of you as a hero! Because you've done _SO_ many _HEROIC THINGS!_ Like... " She sighed unhappily, and said, " _Never mind.._. " She said with a smile, " BYE, COOP! "

She sped away from him, leaving the room very quickly, leaving Coop to briefly wonder what she was going to say before shrugging it off. " Huh. Spending time with Phoebe wasn't so bad after all!... Whoa. Never thought I'd say THAT. "

Author's Notes: Hope you liked it. Also, why do I have the sneaking suspicion that the, " Traffic Stats, " for this site are either glitchy or just plain wrong? I mean, at least two of my stories that have favorites for them, are stated to have zero views. It's gotta be machine-generated or something, 'cause seriously? Whatever.


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